Method for applying therapeutic heat

ABSTRACT

A method for applying therapeutic heat by a therapeutic heating pad which is not hot to the touch provides substantial infrared radiation to a user. Accordingly it can be used for extended periods without feeling uncomfortable to the skin, while imparting deep therapeutic heat to the user. The heating pad is comprised of a radiant heat generating layer having a plane surface comprising means for radiating heat evenly from its surface, a pair of flexible electrically insulating and radiation permeable layers located adjacent and covering opposite sides of the layer, a thermal insulation layer disposed against and covering one of the electrically insulating layers, a radiation reflective layer disposed against and covering the outside surface of the thermal insulation layer, and a sealed radiation permeable envelope enclosing the entire heater. Preferrably the flexible heat generating layer is comprised of a fiber glass mat impregnated with a resistive material, which material provides a surface temperature, when current is conducted therethrough, which is between 60 degrees Celsius and 65 degrees Celsius.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 893,764 filed Apr. 5, 1978,now U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,294.

This invention relates to a novel form of heating pad which has beenfound to be useful for therapeutic heat application.

Certain types of painful conditions of the muscles or joints such asarthritic pain often have the application of heat prescribed to relievethe pain. Heat is normally applied in a variety of ways, for instance bythe use of irritant rubbing compounds which cause local stimulation ofblood vessels increasing body heat carried to the location, the use ofinfrared lamps, the use of radio frequency apparatus such as diathermymachines, the use of hot water bottles or electrically operated heatingpads, etc.

While some or all of the aforenoted apparatus is alleged to work to somedegree, all have certain disadvantages. For instance, the prolonged useof an infrared heating lamp can cause localized burning of the skin.Diathermy machines are specialized apparatus which require expensiveskilled operators. Irritant rubs, while apparently generating localheat, sometimes irritate the skin. Hot water bottles maintain an uneventemperature with time, generally are applied too hot to the skin, andlater cool to an ineffective temperature. They are thus uncomfortablefor most of their time of application.

The present invention is directed to a novel form of electricallyoperated heating pad. Prior art heating pads are generally comprised ofinsulated electrical heating elements held within a sealed bag, coveredwith a washable removable cloth envelope. Such heating pads areresistance heated by the flow of electricity therethrough, which heatthe surrounding insulated envelope. The pad is applied to an area of thebody which is to be treated, and the hot pad provides fairly even heatto the skin.

However the use of this form of heating pad must be carefullycontrolled. Since the pad heats by conduction from the heating coils tothe skin, it feels generally hot to the touch, and use must be limitedor the skin can be burned, particularly if the user falls asleep on thepad. Due to the conduction of heat to the skin, the pad eventuallybegins feeling very uncomfortable. While such pads generally utilizethermostats to control the amount of heat generated, its use in aconfined space, such as under the patient, generally causes the build upof heat on the skin which is conducted directly from the heating coils.The heat has been found to eventually become uncomfortable even at agenerally low thermostatic setting.

The present invention is a therapeutic heating pad which operates usingblack body radiation of infrared heat, rather than conduction as inprior art pads. In the preferred embodiment the surface temperature ofthe pad exceeds the temperature of the human body, somewhat, but becauseof its unique design the heat is dissipated and it does not feeluncomfortably hot to the touch. It can, as a result be used for extendedperiods of time. Yet the radiant heat generated by the pad has beenfound to penetrate the tissues relatively deeply, thus providing anenhanced therapeutic effect. This is accomplished without the previouslyencountered hot or burning feeling on the skin.

The invention, in general, is a radiant therapeutic heater comprising aradiant heat generating layer having a plane surface comprising meansfor radiating heat evenly from its surface, a pair of flexibleelectrically insulating and radiation permeable layers located adjacentand covering opposite sides of the layer, a thermal insulation layerdisposed against and covering one of the electrically insulating layers,a radiation reflective layer disposed against and covering the outsidesurface of the thermal insulation layer, and a sealed radiationpermeable envelope enclosing the entire heater. The flexible heatgenerating layer is comprised of a fiber glass mat impregnated with aresistive material, which material provides a surface temperature, whencurrent is conducted therethrough, which is between 60 degrees Celsiusand 65 degrees Celsius.

A better understanding of the invention will be obtained by reference tothe detailed description below, and to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the complete heating pad,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the heating pad in use,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the heat generating layer, and

FIG. 4 is a crossectional view of the heating pad,

Turning first to FIG. 1, the inventive heating pad is shown inperspective. The heating pad 1 preferably has a cloth cover of cotton orother natural fiber, formed into an envelope and closed by a zipper 2. Awire 3 extends from an opening which is closed by the zipper, forcarrying current to the heating element which is controlled by an inlinecord, on-off switch with indicator light 20. While a standard 117 voltAC mains plug is shown at the end of wire 3, it should be noted thatupon appropriate design of the heating element, other potentials can beused, for instance 12 volts AC or DC, 75 volts AC or DC etc.

FIG. 2 shows the heating pad 1 in use placed over the knee joint of theleg 14 of the user. As was noted earlier, the surface temperature of thepad is preferably 60 degrees Celsius to 65 degrees Celsius, andconsequently the pad can be used in place for a long period of time witha comfortably hot feeling. Yet the infrared radiation appears topenetrate deeply into the body, thereby imparting maximum therapeuticeffect by delivering deep heat without causing skin burns.

FIG. 3 shows the main heating element which is used within the heatingpad 1. The heating element is comprised of a fiber glass mat or layer 4.The fiber glass mat is preferrably fabricated of woven clothlikeFiberglas. The material is throughly impregnated and saturated with achemical compound which is a mixture of low and high resistance carbonto provide the required resistance. Saturation is carried out in suchmanner as to insure that the fiber glass is throughly covered inside andout homogeneously. Following saturation the material is passed through aseries of steel rollers which remove the excess wet chemical, afterwhich it is passed through an oven drying process and is finallysubjected to heat of about 425 degrees Celsius to extract any remainingmoisture in the material, thus stabilizing the carbon-graphiteimpregnated material.

The coating materials of the kind preferred to be used in the heatingelement of this invention is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,626,issued Feb. 11, 1975.

Another mixture suitable for use with the fiber glass is comprised ofthe following:

45 parts graphite (83%-90%)

25 parts silicone

9 parts casein

20 parts probiofan L5

0.02-0.05 parts of silikorentschaumer

The quantity of the material impregnated in the fiber glass, which formsa resistive layer, ranges from about 0.1 grams per square meter to about3 grams per square meter. After heat treatment, drawing and passing ofthe fiber glass through the rollers (the latter of which gauges thethickness of the particles of the impregnate adhereing to the material)sets the resistivity of the material.

It should be noted that other materials than fiber glass can be used asa base for the resistive material. For instance, as described in U.S.Pat. No. 3,865,626, a polyester film is treated with a solvent orswelling agent. Electroconductive particles, preferably carbon black isapplied to the treated surface in a concentration corresponding to thedesired resistance. The film is then subjected to heat treatment tosolidify and retain the resistive material in the surface.

Conductive tapes 5, preferably of copper foil, are sewn into electricalcontact with the resistance material along parallel edges of the fiberglass material. The tapes can be made of either woven or non wovenmaterial. A pair of wires 6 are then connected to the ends of theconductive tapes using clips 7.

It should be noted that as the resistivity of the material is measurablein ohms per square units, the material can be made in large sheets orrolls, and then cut to the required resistance. In the preferredembodiment, the heat element disipates 26.3 watts per square foot withan input voltage of 117 volts AC. The preferred dimensions for theheating pad element are 12 inches wide by 15 inches long. Depending onthe specific design, however, the disipation can be made as low as 13watts per square foot. However the pads or heaters can be made a varietyof desired dimensions in length or width. Widths, for example, can rangefrom 2 inches to 48 inches between copper conductor tapes.

It should be noted that since the resistance material is basicallyfabricated of carbon compound, the heating element is a black bodyradiator, which has a high efficiency of radiant heat dispersion which,it is believed, contributes to the effectiveness of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a crossection of a portion of the complete heating pad. Theheating element 4 has a pair of film isolator layers 8 covering itssurfaces on its opposite sides. The isolator layers are insulative toelectricity, but transparent to infrared radiation. The materials of theisolator layers are selected from the group comprising polyester,Teflon, Kapton type H300 and Kapton type F300 films, although the latterKapton type film is preferred. A suitable thickness of film is 0.04 mil,which has been found suitable for the low temperatures produced.

Disposed against the outside of one of the isolator layers 8 is aninsulating layer 9. The insulating layer is preferably spun glass ofless than about 1 inch in thickness, but not thinner than 1/4 inchthickness. Preferably the insulation is 1/2 inch thickness.

A reflective layer 10 is disposed against the outer surface of theinsulative layer 9. Preferably the reflective layer 10 is aluminum foilof about 0.02 mil thickness, polyester coated. However, other types ofreflective materials could be used if highly heat reflective.

Current limiting control thermostats 21 are centrally located within theinsulating layer 9 and distributed to sense whether any hot spots may bedeveloping due to a fold, or the like in the pad. Connected in serieswith the heating element, they cut off power thereto in case thetemperature becomes excessive. The thermostats are adherent to theinsulating layer 9 preferably using 3M type #27 electrical Fibreglas*tape, tradename Kapton Tape.

A sealed envelope comprising layers 11 encloses the entire heating pad.This envelope, which can be fabricated of vinyl, holds all of the abovedescribed layers in laminated position, and protects them against theintrusion of moisture or other contaminants. The pair of wires whichcontacts the conductive tapes, of course extend through a hole in thevinyl envelope, which hole is preferably sealed against the wires. Ofcourse a sealed connector could be used with a detachable cord, ifdesired.

An outer cloth bag or envelope, shown as layers 12 encloses the vinylenvelope. Preferably the cloth bag is fabricated of terry towel, orother cotton or natural fiber material, which has been found to be mostcomfortable to the user. As noted above, the cloth bag can be closed bya zipper or with other fastening devices such Velcro closure or thelike. The cloth bag may thus be removed and washed as desired.

In operation, the heating pad is plugged in or otherwise connected to asource of operating current. The heating pad is placed over a region tobe therapeutically warmed with deep heat. Current passes through theresistance material of the fiber glass, creating a source of black bodyinfrared radiation. The radiation is received by the body of the user,and appears to penetrate deeply. Yet the heating pad does not feeluncomfortably hot to the touch.

In the event the heating pad is heated before being applied to theuser's body, should the heating pad have a resistivity which raises itstemperature higher than that of the temperature of the human body, forinstance to 140 degrees F., the pad may feel warm for an instant when itis applied to the body of the user. However it has been found that thiswarmth is almost instantly dissipated by the skin of the user, andfurther contact with the pad does not impart an uncomfortably hotsensation to the touch. Accordingly there is a very little heatconduction from the inventive structure, but there is substantialradiated heat. The radiated heat is received by receptive bodiesopposite the side of the pad opposite the reflective layer. Yet the airwhich is in contact with the heating pad does not heat, since it istransparent to infrared radiated heat.

It has been found that the described structure radiates heat in the wavelength band of between 9 and 12 microns, while the entire infraredbandwidth extends between 0.72 and 400 microns. It is believed that theparticular bandwidth of the radiation which is emitted by this inventioncontributes to the apparent deep penetration and therapeutic effectobtained.

As noted earlier, the heating pad can be made of various sizes, such asthe size given by example herein, blanket size, or of particular shapeto match the shape of a portion of a users body.

Accordingly a heating pad has been invented which has significantadvantages over prior art therapeutic heat applying devices. Such thepad gives its deep heat penetration by radiation, with a relatively lowsurface temperature, skin surface burns do not result from prolongeduse. The pad is useable by the patient, and no specialist is requiredfor its application. Nonconductive and virtually entire radiativeinfrared heat in the range of 9 to 12 microns is imparted to the user,which has been found to result in a penetrating deep heat, whichpatients have found to be highly successful in relief of symptoms ofarthritic pain, etc.

It may now become evident to a person skilled in the art understandingthis invention that other materials than the ones described can besubstituted for the ones described, and that other embodiments andconfigurations may now be designed. All are considered within the scopeand sphere of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A method for applyingtherapeutic heat comprising the steps of:(a) generating radiant heatenergy at a wavelength which penetrates into a human or animal body,said radiant heat being generated in at least one flexible electricallyinsulating and radiant energy permeable layer, (b) disposing a thermalinsulation layer against the human or animal body and covering it withthe layer forming the source of said radiant energy, (c) reflecting saidradiant energy against the surface of and through the thermal insulationlayer and into the human or animal body, and (d) sealing a radiantenergy permeable envelope around the entire heater used in steps(a)-(c).
 2. A method of applying radiant therapeutic heat as defined inclaim 1 in which the radiant heat generated in step (a) is generatedfrom a fiberglass mat impregnated with a resistive material.
 3. Themethod of claim 2 wherein said fiberglass mat impregnation comprises:45parts graphite (83%-90%), 25 parts silicone, 9 parts casein, 20 partsprobiofan L5, 102-0.05 parts of silikorentschaumer.
 4. A method ofapplying therapeutic heat comprising the steps of:(a) generating radiantheat energy at a wavelength which penetrates into a human or animalbody, said radiant heat being generated in at least one flexible layer,(b) interposing an electrically insulating and radiant energy permeablelayer between a human or animal body and the flexible layer, and (c)reflecting the radiant energy from the side of said layer opposite saidbody toward the body.
 5. A method of applying radiant therapeutic heatas defined in claim 4 in which the radiant heat generated in step (a) isgenerated from a fiberglass mat impregnated with a resistive material.6. The method of claim 5 wherein said fiberglass mat impregnationcomprises:45 parts graphite (83%-90%), 25 parts silicone, 9 partscasein, 20 parts probiofan L5, 102-0.05 parts of silikorentschaumer.